In the recent English High Court case of Sang Stone Hamoon Jonoub Co Ltd v. Baoyue Shipping Co. Ltd. ([2015] EWHC 2288 Comm), Mr Justice Males provided direction on the potential liability of a cargo owner to the shipowner where the first does not take delivery of the cargo and the recompense such shipowner may expect in return. In this case, the unpaid FOB seller of the goods, who held the bill of lading (BL), was found liable to the shipowner for storage charges greater than the value of the unpaid cargo. The shipowner successfully defended a claim for unlawful conversion following storage of cargo that had not been collected within a reasonable time. Under English law, in brief terms, conversion of cargo is an act of dealing with that cargo in a way that is inconsistent with the cargo owner’s rights, such that the cargo owner is deprived of the use or possession of the cargo.

Stuart Edmonston, Loss Prevention Director at UK P&I Club (UK P&I) says the industry still has concerns over the use of low-sulfur fuels, and the need to comply with mandates regarding their use in ships is placing an increasing demand on shipowners.

Optimal routing is an essential part of Voyage planning. Traditionally, optimal routing has been avoiding areas with high risk of cargo damage. With advanced weather forecasting, the forecast period has become longer. With advanced data communication, it is possible to deliver the updated forecasts onboard, and weather routing has become dynamic and adaptive to the real weather and is no longer merely avoidance of high risk areas.

Oceanology International 2014 sees the launch of a new range of Gyrocompass products based on the well proven Motion Reference Unit (MRU) technology from Kongsberg Maritime’s sensor ‘Powerhouse’, Kongsberg Seatex.

This incident information refer to to heavy corrosion/pitting and subsequent cracking that was discovered in the side shell plating and frames of an old bulk carrier at sea, in ballast condition. The damage was found in way of the pipes connecting the hopper tanks and the top side tanks in cargo hold no. 4.

During the April session of the IMO FAL Committee, Denmark hosted a presentation where the Danish Captain Christian Rørbeck shed light on the administrative burdens faced by ships on a daily basis around the world. The specific examples of administrative burdens for a container ship in service were an eye-opener.

A product tanker weighing 47,400 tons sailed a distance of 280nm having its engine shut off using only wind and sea currents to navigate through the sea. The tanker made it to the discharge port in time. but by stopping the main engine for 3-4 days, savings of 27 tons of fuel were made. So it appears that sometime traditional methods of navigation at sea may be more economic/fuel efficient compared to proposed technological improvements. Of course this cannot happen everyday but such an incident is worth mentioning especially during these times were everyone seems to be in panic of cutting costs and saving more fuel.

Upon survey of all cargo holds after a transport of sulphur cargo, serious corrosion was found. On the inclined plates of the hopper tanks and the lower stool of the transverse bulkhead, extensive damage in shape of groove corrosion was found with depth up to 9mm in places. This incident information refers to a 17,427 GRT Bulk Carrier in 1997.

The problem of hazardous chemicals in shipping containers has become a topic of major concern over the last 10 years. The combination of sealed containers and long journey times means that hazardous chemicals can build to a level that would never normally be encountered in domestic or industrial settings. The problem is exacerbated by the massive variety in chemicals involved, the origin of many containers in countries with less strict health and safety controls, and the often poor documentation accompanying the containers.